Eyes red as Blood
Third Night: Cross Academy Part 2
She tuned to look into the light purple eyes of one of the Kiryu twins. "Can you accompany me for a bit, Ichiru?"
"Of course, Arisu-sama."
"Thank you." Arisu sighed as she clutched onto the handle of the car. 'Wow, am I really this nervous?', she thought.
It was starting to get dark out. The shadows made the school look bigger and menacing. When Arisu stepped out, the first thing she smelled were roses. Arisu looked around and saw the rose bushes near the entrance of the school. The school was surrounded by a forest, so there wasn't any noise from the nearby town. Her stomach did a flip and everything around her became sharply defined because of her weariness.
Ichiru stepped outside and as soon as he was standing next to her, she immediately felt better. Calmer. Ichiru had been there for her even when Shizuka had been alive.
"I'll ask you this one last time," Ichiru spoke, his tone dead serious, "are you sure you want to do this?"
"Yes," Arisu spoke. Unlike Ichiru, her voice was just above a whisper.
'She's leaving me, but I must stick to my plan. This can't interfere with anything.' He patted Arisu on the shoulder for comfort before he went to the car to retrieve her suitcase. The light breeze made Arisu's hair and clothing rustle to the side. She usually opted to keep her hair down, but she had a red bow in her hair. She was wearing a deep red dress that accented her eyes along with a brown overcoat and black flats.
"Can you walk with me until I get to the headmaster's office?" Arisu asked Ichiru qhen he places her suitcase in front of her.
"I can only walk you until the entrance of the school, Arisu-sama," Ichiru spoke, his voice grave, "Zero might see me if I go any farther."
"Oh," Arisu replied with sadness in her voice, "I see. Well, I guess we should go now."
It pained Ichiru to see Arisu hurt, but she must never know what he felt… it would only place her in danger. As they began walking, Arisu spotted a deep red almost black rose, which stuck out in the sea of bright red roses.
'A deep red rose... it does not fit in with all of the others, it reminds me of Ichiru,' She walked over to it and picked it with a smile. "Here," Arisu handed it to Ichiru, "if I hold it for too long it withers and dies."
Ichiru was puzzled, he knew that Arisu liked flowers, but why would she just do this randomly? Either way he accepted the rose, and they continued walking.
"Well I guess this is goodbye." Arisu turned towards Ichiru.
"I guess so," Ichiru stood there not knowing what to say.
"Thank you for everything. Take care, Ichiru."
"Take care, Arisu-sama. Call me if anything happens," Ichiru replied before turning and walking back to the car.
Arisu watched him get in the car and waved after him as he left. She was stood at the entrance for a while. Arisu decided that she would tell the truth and then, if need be, conceal her vampiric aura so that she could be in the Day class.
'Well, I guess I should get going,' Arisu thought as she picked up her suitcase and started to go into the school.
"You have no business here, vampire. Who are you?"
She turned to the side where a boy stood, pointing an anti-vampire weapon at her. The resemblance was uncanny.
"I came because I am a transfer student," Arisu stammered. She felt deja vu as she stared into familiar violet eyes, "My name is Arisu. If you could please take me to the Headmaster, I'm sure he can explain everything."
"ZERO!" a voice came from behind him. The female voice drew nearer and soon the girl stood in front of them. "That is no way to treat a new student, even if she is a vampire."
"If that's even why she's here," Zero replied, his eyes narrowing, "the Headmaster would have told us in advanced; she's a pureblood."
Arisu's mind ran a mile a minute, trying to decide what the best course of action was. This was too soon. She hadn't been expecting to see Yuki so soon. Both prefects were wearing the day class uniform and the arm band. Arisu just stared quietly when the two started to argue, nearly forgetting about her until she coughed.
"Oh, Zero is sorry about pointing his gun at you. I'm Yuki Cross," the girl introduced herself with a warm smile.
"I am not," Zero muttered as he took a step forward ensuring that he was standing between Yuki and the vampire.
"Umm, I'm Arisu," Arisu replied meekly. I have to keep it together! Her eyes slid past Zero and focused on Yuki, but Zero fully blocked Yuki off when he noticed she was staring.
"Zero, put that gun away," Yuki scolded when she saw that Zero was still clutching Bloody Rose, but he ignored her, holding the gun at the ready. Silence engulfed them until they heard squeals and girl's screams coming from the school. "Oh, Shoot! We forgot about the Day class." Immediately Yuki took off running. Zero glared at Arisu before putting his gun away.
"Go to the headmaster's office right away," Zero said, turning and walking off after Yuki, "Don't let me catch you doing anything out off line because I won't hesitate to kill you, even if you are a pureblood." Zero's aura was so cold and tangible it sent shivers up Arisu's spine. Her inner vampire itched to put the boy in his place but was wary about him all the same. He ignored her after that.
"Oh, well," Arisu sighed and continued on her way deeper into the school. She was getting closer to the screams when she turned and looked. Every single girl at Cross Academy must have been there and in the middle of it, the Night Class. Kaname spotted her instantly. His brief experssion of shock morphed into subdued anger. Arisu locked eyes with him, a gleam of triumph and defiance in her eyes before she turned and walked away. By look on her his face she knew she was in for it, but nobody noticed her or so they thought. Hanabusa Aido was aware of the glance they exchanged, and he also noticed the new girl's resemblance to Kaname. He stopped his thoughts, figuring that he would ask Kaname later. For now the Day Class girls needed his attention.
Arisu began to explore on her own through the hallways. Eventually she bumped into a few of the Night Class students here and there, but they just turned and stared because she had concealed her true identity. They just assumed that she was a transfer student, which she was, but surprisingly no one offered to help her. By the time Arisu found the Headmaster's office it was late into the night. Arisu knocked on the door. "Come in!" came a sing song voice from within. Arisu cautiously stepped inside; fully aware of Kaien Cross' unusually cheerful behavior.
"Arisu! I'm so glad you found me, I was beginning to get worried," the headmaster said, getting up from his seat and enveloping Arisu into a hug. "It's been so long since I have seen you!"
"Ah, yes it has," Arisu replied before returning the hug a bit awkwardly. She had met him a couple of times growing up whenever Cross had visited the Manor.
"You are all grown up," headmaster Cross said and out of nowhere he took out a camera and took a picture of Arisu. She was momentarily stunned because of the bright flash.
"Oh, sorry," Kaien apologized before returning to his seat, "You look just like your mother. Well, you also resemble Haruka a lot as well."
"Yes, I suppose so." She knew that the headmaster was simply trying to make small talk, so she didn't mind talking about her parents. Cross hummed happily, rifling through some of his desk papers. "Will I be able to join the Day class?" Arisu asked after a while of silence.
Before he could reply the door swung open. Yagari Toga scowled at her, but turned his ire at the headmaster.
"What is the meaning of this, Cross," Yagari demanded, but he sounded more annoyed than angry. He thought Cross was out of his mind about bringing in another pureblood to the school.
"I'm not sure what you mean, Yagari," Kaien replied, smiling pleasantly.
"You are actually thinking of letting a pureblood vampire into the Day Class." This time his voice sounded incredulous. It seemed he had overheard their earlier conversation.
"Yes!" Clearly, the headmaster seemed to think there was nothing was wrong with that.
Yagari tried to keep calm. "You are making a big mistake just by thinking about the idea. I have to report this to the Hunter Society." The hunter didn't bother to wait for a response and left without another word.
"You'll have to excuse him," the headmaster told Arisu, waving his hand in the air, "he does not share my pacifism."
"No its fine, not many people do," Arisu replied with a smile.
There was a knock at the door. When prompted by the headmaster, Zero came in followed by Yuki. Arisu looked straight at Yuki with a warm smile. 'She has grown up a lot.'
"What a wonderful surprise! My two prefects!" the Headmaster exclaimed.
"You told us to come, old man." Zero looke bored and tried to seem unfazed by Arisu though he was still against her being there.
"Well, this is my lovely daughter Yuki and my loving son Zero," the headmaster introduced them, looking at Arisu for a brief moment for having claimed such a familial role in Yuki's life. "Yuki, Zero, this is Arisu Kuran."
"How many times have I told you not to call me your son?" Zero continued to ignore the vampire and snarled at the headmaster, "You may have taken care of me and adopted me legally, but that still gives you no right to call me your son!"
"Uhm, we already met Arisu..." Yuki in turn ignored Zero's outburst as if it were a common occurence. SHe fidgeted somewhat before asking, "Are you related to Kaname Kuran?"
"Yes," Arsu gauged their reactions as she spoke, "he is my brother."
Zero's eyes narrowed, determining that he now had another reason not to trust her.
"Wow, I didn't know he had a sister," Yuki marveled, taking in much of the other's appearance. There was something familiar about the girl in front of her, but she couldn't place it. Like she had seen her before. It was an itch in the back of her head.
'What I know would amaze you, Yuki' Arisu thought.
"I would like for you to show her around as she will be joining the day class. She will also be the third Prefect," Cross said nervously, he was looking straight at Zero.
And that's when all hell broke loose. "You are a crazy man! I was fine with the night class because they are ordered to stay away from the humans and now you want to put one of their beloved purebloods in the Day Class, that is just asking for a disaster to happen!"
"Zero, calm down it's not the end of the world," Cross spoke calmly.
"Pardon me, but I would like to show you something," Arisu spoke, and all eyes turned to her. Arisu invoked her power and before long Zero's outrage turned to trepidation and rejection of what he was sensing.
"No, just no," Zero said. He couldn't sense a vampire aura from her, "You will make a big mistake allowing her to be in the Day Class, headmaster. As for you, vampire, I will stay true to my threat." Zero turned from Arisu and left. He couldn't stand being that room a minute longer. Yuki, thinking he might do someting rash, followed him out.
"Well that went over well," Arisu sighed.
"Actually that did go over well," Kaien Cross smiled, "You will have your uniform by tomorrow, and please don't tell Yuki anything."
"You don't have to worry, Headmaster Cross," Arisu replied, a tinge of sadness on her voice.
The headmaster gave her a pamphlet map and clear instruction to the dorms before welcoming her to continue her exploration of the campus. 'She really is like her mother' the Headmaster smiled in nostalgia as Arisu left.
Arisu, on the other hand instantly wished she had stayed inside when she noticed just who was waiting outside of the office, "Hello, Kaname."
"Follow me," Kaname said, his tone hardened and eyes blazing with thinly concealed anger.
Arisu made a nervous sound in response and followed her brother down the hallway towards the moon dorms.
Revised 12/1/19